Phineas the Dog is Alive and Back With His Family, Says Attorney

The Sanders family with Phineas in a photo said to have been taken recently.

Phineas, the dog who was accused of biting a seven-year-old girl, put on doggy death row, and then stolen from the shelter where he was imprisoned, has been found alive and well.

Joe Simon, the attorney and advocate who has been handling the family's effort to save their beloved pet, wrote on his Facebook page that Phineas was dropped off at a "safe house," but revealed few details.

Simon tells Daily RFT that the safe house is in "rural Missouri," but said he couldn't give any other information because Phineas might still be in danger.

"You can tell there's still animosity towards this dog from some people involved in the situation," Simon says. "We just sort of feel for the dog's safety and now that we got him back, we're gonna make sure that, at least for the time being until things calm down, that we keep him hidden."

The return of Phineas came one day after he was exonerated by Salem judge Scott Bernstein, who wrote in a decision that the dog was not guilty of biting the seven-year-old girl and could be returned to his owners.

Phineas was clearly kidnapped by somebody who wanted to save Phineas from a possible death sentence and then return him to his family once it was safe.